


Insecurity

by BeyondTheClouds777



Series: Learning Curves [3]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Gen, Hinata's mother has basically accepted Kageyama into the family at this point, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Late Night Visit, Literal Sleeping Together, Platonic Cuddling, Protective Kageyama Tobio, Queerplatonic Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Queerplatonic Relationships, Reassurances, mostly comfort, soft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:54:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,512
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24036190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BeyondTheClouds777/pseuds/BeyondTheClouds777
Summary: "Kageyama...?""Yeah?""Am I stupid?"
Relationships: Hinata Shouyou & Kageyama Tobio
Series: Learning Curves [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1724587
Comments: 6
Kudos: 249





	Insecurity

_ “Oh, Tobio, dear, I’m sorry to be a bother, but Shouyou seemed upset earlier, when he got home from school—would you be at all available to stop by tonight? I’m sure he would love to see you.” _

Kageyama likes Ms. Hinata a lot. She and her son have very similar energies, only hers is less…  _ teenage boy  _ and more  _ mother.  _ She’s only ever been kind to Kageyama, kind beyond his welcome and hospitable like it’s all she knows. Admittedly, it was hard to believe she was a lawyer at first—but if she and Hinata really  _ do  _ share a lot of similarities, and Hinata’s game-face is anything to go by, he imagines she’s quite the force to be reckoned with.

This is the first favor she’s ever really asked of him, and since Hinata is involved it isn’t much a favor at all. He’s already slipping his shoes on by the time he gets around to respond.

“Of course I’ll go,” he says, tying his laces and straightening up with the phone tucked between his cheek and shoulder. Now that his hands are free, he’s able to hold it properly again. “Have a safe night, I’ll make sure the dumbass is alright.”

_ “Ah, thank you so much!”  _ That’s another thing he likes about her; she understands his and Hinata’s dynamic and knows he never actually means whatever jabs they hurl at each other.  _ “There’s plenty of leftovers in the fridge, and I just cleaned it out so everything in there is fair game. Be sure to give me a call if you need me.” _

“Thank you; I will.”

_ “Alright. Gotta run. Thanks again!” _

“Anytime.”

She hangs up, he pockets the phone, and sets out.

* * *

They had a quiz today, and Kageyama is willing to bet good money and as much  _ daifuku  _ as he dares consume in one sitting that the quiz has something to do with Hinata’s upset. Kageyama wasn’t happy with his quiz results when he got them back earlier, either, although he  _ did  _ pass; but Hinata never mentioned his results, and that isn’t a good sign.

It’s just getting dark by the time he makes it there, and uses the spare key under the flower pot to let himself in. He’d tried texting Hinata before letting himself in, of course, but he never responded. It’d be fine. Ms. Hinata invited him over anyway.

He shuts the door behind him, locking it once more as he tugs off his shoes. The living room light is on, but it’s dark otherwise, and quiet.

Kageyama leaves his shoulder bag by the door with his shoes, entering with a sense of confidence he knows he wouldn’t have had Ms. Hinata not asked him to come. Since the only light is in the living room, he checks there first. On the couch, sprawled and fast asleep, is, of course, Hinata.

His awkward, uncomfortable positioning would suggest he didn’t  _ mean  _ to fall asleep, but Hinata’s sleeping positions are so bizarre anyway that he very well might have. His school books are sprawled on the coffee table, satchel hanging off it and pencils askew everywhere. A pair of lopsided headphones is slung around his neck, the laptop on the table dancing its happy little screensaver. There’s an empty bowl of ice cream, too—and he knows it’s ice cream, because Hinata is the only person in this house who puts that many sprinkles in one place. Even Natsu has more reservations than that.

Hinata looks uncomfortable, limbs sprawled and tangled in a blanket his mom probably tried to cover him with, but he looks most uncomfortable in his face, brows furrowed, dried tear-lines striping down his cheeks and temples.

Sighing, Kageyama kneels by his head and knocks his knuckles against Hinata’s temple. “Hey, dumbass.”

Hinata barely stirs. Kageyama gets up to shut off the light and then returns, tugging Hinata up by the shoulders just until he can slip behind him in the space between Hinata’s back and the arm of the couch. Hinata moves a little now, curling into his chest and tucking his knees into Kageyama’s ribs (which—god,  _ ow,  _ why’d he have to go and do that). Kageyama sighs again, heavier this time yet somehow less sincere, and twirls Hinata’s hair around his fingers.

It’s not the first time he’s found Hinata like this. He broke down in the clubroom once, long before they were close enough for Kageyama to even  _ sort of  _ know what to do, and Sugawara took over in the end but he still felt bad. Now he knows Hinata better, and he lets Hinata lean into him until eventually his presence seeps into his subconsciousness, and he begins to stir.

“You up?” Kageyama tries to meet his eyes, but his messy hair is in the way and he doesn’t want to risk jostling him too much. “You’d better not just be pretending to sleep, dumbass.”

“M’not,” Hinata murmurs unhappily, grasping at the hem of Kageyama’s hoodie. “Wh’n did you…?”

“Like, five minutes ago,” Kageyama says. He keeps his voice down because even though Hinata is awake, he  _ does not  _ sound like himself and Kageyama knows by now that it’s better to let Hinata think without overstimulating him so soon. “Your mom was worried, so I came over to make sure you didn’t sulk yourself into a corner.”

Hinata doesn’t bite back. He doesn’t do  _ anything, _ like he hadn’t even heard Kageyama at all. Kageyama sighs slowly.

“Well, you should probably get some sleep.” He readjusts them on the couch enough to lean back more comfortably and coax Hinata’s knees out of his ribs. “I won’t  _ make  _ you go anywhere, but considering you have an entire  _ bed  _ just a room away…”

Hinata still doesn’t say anything, but he  _ does  _ tuck himself in closer, bonking Kageyama’s chin with the top of his head. “Kageyama…?” Hinata hadn’t spoken enough for him to notice before, but, yeah. Definitely cried himself to sleep.

Kageyama keeps winding Hinata’s hair around his fingers. “Yeah?”

“Am I stupid?”

Kageyama huffs. “Of course.”

“N-No, I mean… actually stupid.”

So it’s more than just the quiz. Kageyama rests his cheek against the top of Hinata’s head and wraps his arms around him. “No, dumbass, of course you aren’t. Why would you even say that?”

“B-Because I—” Hinata sniffs, burying himself in closer like he could somehow disappear into Kageyama’s hoodie. “I-I f-failed the quiz again, a-and—and the tea-teacher said it was supp-supposed to be an  _ easy  _ quiz and I  _ still—”  _ His shoulders tremble in harmony with his, and he presses his face into Kageyama’s chest with another wet sob. “I-I  _ have _ to be stupid, don’t I? I-I wasn’t smart enough to—”

“There are more ways to be smart than answering textbook questions, Hinata,” Kageyama says, no leeway for argument in his tone. “Some people are book smart, some people are number smart, some people are word smart… there’s all sorts of ways people can be smart. Just because you failed a quiz doesn’t mean you’re stupid. You aren’t stupid.”

Hinata sniffles, coiling himself tighter and digging his knees into Kageyama’s ribs again (which— _ fine,  _ Kageyama will allow it for now). “R… Really?”

“Of course. Dumbass.”

“S-So… So you think I’m smart in another way…?”

“Yeah.”

“L-Like—Like how?”

Kageyama rests his chin in Hinata’s hair, arms wrapped around him to draw him close while he thinks. Hinata has begun tapping his forearm, which is a sign he’s not as closed off as before. That’s good. He wouldn’t be falling back into absent-minded habits otherwise.

“You’re people-smart,” Kageyama says.

Hinata sniffles. “P-People smart?”

“Yeah. Like, socially smart. You’re good at talking to people and stuff. It seems like you’re friends with practically everyone in the school and, I don’t think I’ve  _ ever  _ heard someone say something bad about you unless they were just being a prick. I’m… actually a little jealous.”

Hinata chortles weakly. “Awh. I-I don’t really think that makes me smart, though...”

“Failing a quiz doesn’t make you stupid, either,” Kageyama says without missing a beat. “Like I said, different smarts. Different dumbs. We’re all pretty both. Don’t go around thinking you’re stupid again, alright?”

Hinata’s arms wind around Kageyama’s waist and squeeze softly, his nod small and quick. Satisfied, Kageyama sinks furtner against the arm of the couch, re-readjusting Hinata’s knees  _ (finally)  _ as Hinata does the same against his chest. Kageyama shoots Ms. Hinata a quick text to let her know that Hinata’s fine and that he’ll be staying the night, to which she thanks him. 

“Thanks.”

Kageyama snaps his phone shut and tosses it onto the carpet beside the couch, bundling Hinata into his arms and burying his nose in his messy hair. “Sure.”

He knows it’s something Hinata has always struggled with, and it probably isn’t a struggle bound to dissipate any time soon, but Kageyama is glad he can be here to ease whatever he can in the hopes Hinata can somehow see himself the way Kageyama has always seen him. Until then, to be able to hold him and promise is enough.

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't been super happy with my writing lately (my brain's bein' a jerk) but I still wanted to post some soft kiddos because hurt/comfort is balm for the soul. I hope you guys liked it!! thank you so much for reading and for all your support, it means the world <3 
> 
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/BClouds777) || [tumblr](https://pocket-full-of-wonder.tumblr.com/)


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